By 90min | Created at 2024-11-21 16:54:45 | Updated at 2024-11-24 06:13:57
2 days ago
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has criticised Marcus Rashford and Casemiro for taking breaks in the United States of America during the November international break.
Neither star was included in the most recent England or Brazil squads for the last rounds of national team fixtures until March 2025.
Rashford was in attendance for an NBA clash between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden on Friday, while Casemiro uploaded photos of his family enjoying a trip to Disney World in Orlando.
Plenty of players who were absent from international duty took breaks to recharge their batteries, but Neville claimed it lacked professionalism and questioned whether either star would be fresh enough to impress in Ruben Amorim's first game in charge of United against Ipswich Town this weekend after traveling around the world.
He told the Stick to Football podcast: "The professionalism, looking after your body and making sure you're best prepared for the next training session is critical to every decision you make during the season.
"He has got a mental break, he's got to get away and has got to rest with friends - then you talk about the choice of venue, how far do you fly, what's the time difference, is that going to give a jet lag issue, is that going to give a stiffness issue from being on a flight for 12 hours?
"This is on Casemiro more than Rashford but if I'm 30 years old and I'm looking after my body – and he's won five Champions Leagues and is an unbelievable player, but if he was away with Brazil for 10 days, we would say he would struggle this weekend because he's been away.
Rashford visiting the USA last week / Carl Recine/GettyImages
"They have chosen that international break. If you are talking about the minor details in being as professional as you can be and as prepared you can be for a training session on a Monday night, that isn't the best choice of venue.
"I'm not that wound up about Rashford and Casemiro going over to the United States but what I'm asking is, if you've got a four-day break, Portland is a 12-hour flight and an eight-hour time difference, your jet lag is bad, and you feel a bit [rough].
"They went to Portland and I'm asking the question based on professionalism - you're playing badly, the team are losing, you're 13th in the league, and there is a new manager coming in - would you choose that trip as a break to recharge your batteries? That's not a recharging trip. It's not right that."
While Neville mentions Portland, it comes as a result of online confusion after old photos of Rashford training with the Timbers resurfaced. New York is on the opposite side of the USA and there has been no suggestion or evidence showing Rashford was in Portland at any point during the international break.
Stick to Football co-host Ian Wright defended the pair, stating the England international is free to do whatever he wants with his free time.
He said: "If it's my time off then, yes, I'd do it. Simply because it's my time off. If you're going for three or four days, that jet lag won't cause you too much of a problem."
